


Ladies Night !

by practicallygin



Category: Ratched (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, F/F, Lesbians, Sort Of, betsy bucket has the worst timing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26702215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/practicallygin/pseuds/practicallygin
Summary: prompt: if you accept prompts, i’d like to see how betsy finds out that mildred has been seeing someone (like a stray lipstick mark somewhere, or a new bracelet, or mildred being overly happy one day, you decide!!)
Relationships: Gwendolyn Briggs/Mildred Ratched
Comments: 4
Kudos: 128





	Ladies Night !

Her heart started to open up to Mildred Ratched when she showed her kindness after the dance. Instead of taking pleasure in seeing her broken, mistreated, Nurse Ratched had shown her nothing but kindness and support. The concept being so foreign to her, Betsy Bucket didn’t know how to deal with it at first.

It was a slow process. Less rivalry, more understanding, a joint effort to get rid of Dr. Hanover. If she had known her life would take such a turn, Betsy would have laughed because by that time, she had been convinced, Richard Hanover would have already realized how much he loved her and they would be as good as married.

But even one Betsy Bucket had to admit when she was wrong. She only saw what she wanted to see.

Mildred’s life had taken a full turn ever since walking through the doors of Lucia State Hospital, though she would insist on saying it started when Gwendolyn Briggs entered her life. That woman, intriguing as she was, has messed with her mind, invaded her thoughts and made her question her whole being. Denial had always been one of her stronger points; the ability to ignore reality in favor of her well-being. She could tell herself her feelings were merely a side-effect of seeing what lesbianism could do to a woman; and how it would be treated. She could tell herself it was out of fear for she had seen what therapy did to Mrs. Cartwright and Mrs. Blix. She could tell herself her body craved the adrenalin such thoughts evoked. Yet, Mildred wasn’t able to deny it any longer the moment she fantasized about the other woman. How her lips would feel against hers, how her touch would feel. Everything about Gwendolyn Briggs was intriguing and it scared her.

Staying at the hospital had less been a choice than a matter of circumstances. Mildred enjoyed the work as a nurse, there was something utterly fulfilling about being able to help someone who actually needed it. Who, in a couple of cases, could appreciate it. So, staying at the hospital was a matter of circumstances.

Betsy had noticed a change in Mildred’s behavior. Every now and then she could have sworn the other woman tried to open up more. Well, she did laugh far more often for sure! And Betsy thought it might have been the relief of all the stress slowly dissolving that allowed Ms. Ratched to open up. Though surely, visits of their mutual friend Gwendolyn helped as well. 

Like every Wednesday, they were sitting in the nurses’ room, enjoying lunch together. Mildred was happily eating her bologna sandwich, a peach sitting right next to her plate, Gwendolyn enjoying a salad she brought along. Betsy was standing at the sink, preparing her lunch. Wednesday, as she would say herself, were the only days she would take her lunch break in the nurses’ room to talk to her newfound friends. 

“My doctor said things are looking good at the moment, though he suggested I shouldn’t wait with therapy much longer.” They both knew what it meant: things would get worse before they would start to get better. Their love was still new and young, neither of them liked to think about the sickness too much for Mildred wasn’t ready to lose Gwendolyn yet, while Gwendolyn couldn’t bear the sadness in Mildred’s eyes. “You have already been waiting too long, don’t wait even longer.” That was just how she knew the nurse, worried and very concerned about her well-being.

“I know. That is why I already made another appointment. But we can talk about it some other time. How would you like coming to my house this evening? We could have some wine, dim the lights ...” Gwendolyn’s voice was low, barely loud enough for anyone but Mildred to hear. She was well aware of the other woman’s discomfort about any public conversations, let alone touches, that could give away their situation. But Nurse Bucket seemed rather occupied with her lunch, she deemed it to be safe. Mildred, with cheeks turning a light shade of pink, could only smile in response, briefly resting her hand on top of her lover’s hand once she made sure Betsy wasn’t looking. “I would love that.”

Plans being made, the women continued their lunch, while the nurse occasionally told Gwen about one of the patients.  
Unbeknownst to them, Betsy had heard about the plans. A ladies night, that would be fun. Surely they wouldn’t mind for her to show up as well.

The minute her shift ended, Mildred was on her way out of the hospital. She would drive straight to Gwendolyn’s house, a bag with her nightgown as well as some clothes for the next day and toiletries already in her car. She didn’t need anyone to assume she would spend the night somewhere else, keeping her bag in the car was the safest way to make sure of it.

The moment Gwendolyn opened the door, both of them had the brightest smile on their lips but only when they were both inside, the door closed and the curtains closed, Mildred set down her bag and reached out to touch her lover’s hand. It was a small gesture but it seemed so grande for the nurse. “I missed you,” the brunette eventually admitted, a shy smile on her lips as she did. Ridiculous, as it had been just a couple of hours since she had last seen her but whenever they were apart, Mildred couldn’t help but worry about Gwendolyn. And it was the other woman that placed a hand against the shorter woman’s face, gently caressing, before she leaned down to capture her lips in a soft kiss. These were the moments both of them were living for.

They eventually settled down; Gwendolyn preparing two glasses of wine for them as she had changed into something more comfortable first while Mildred got changed as well. It was the first night she would spend the night at Gwen’s place, to say she was nervous would have been an understatement. So she stood in front of the mirror in Gwendolyn’s bathroom, trying to prepare herself to leave the room. It was a relief to find Gwen in the living room, two glasses of wine on the table. Gwendolyn was waiting for her, hands folded in her lap as she took in the sight of her beautiful girlfriend. “It’s your favorite,” she gestured toward the wine, before patting the spot next to her. 

Smile on her lips, another deep breath being taken, Mildred moved towards the other woman, sitting down.

It started out innocently; soft kisses, gentle touches. Mildred’s hands gently cupped Gwendolyn’s face, holding her in place and pulling her little closer every now and then. Gwendolyn’s arms had found their way around the nurse’s middle, pulling her close, practically placing her in her lap. Both seemed to be happy with the position, enjoying how their bodies pressed together while lips caressed each other. Every now and then, Mildred would hum a little, especially when Gwen started to trail kisses across her cheek and down her neck. Mildred was sure she would never grow tired of this feeling.

Nimble fingers slowly started unbuttoning the first few buttons of Gwendolyn’s shirt, the redhead’s own fingers finding a way down to trail along the soft skin of her lover’s leg. Eagerly, the younger woman pushed herself forward, wanting more of Gwendolyn’s touch. The kisses grew more heated, touches becoming bolder. They had easily been lost in each other’s presence, the sensation of their touches. 

But their makeout session was interrupted when someone knocked on the door. Mildred was the first to notice and froze, causing Gwendolyn to pull back with a confused expression on her face. It was only when another knock came from the door that she realized what was happening. Moving back to sit in her spot on the couch, Mildred tried to calm down her breathing though the flush on her skin wouldn’t be as gracious to disappear.

Gwendolyn, calming down enough to walk to the door, straightened the shirt of her nightwear before opening the door. Her expression couldn’t have been any more surprised as she came face to face with one Betsy Bucket holding up a bottle of wine. 

“I’m sorry I’m late. I tried to pick the right bottle of wine. May I come in?” 

Too perplexed to say no, Gwendolyn stared at her for another second before stepping inside to let her in. Mildred, still in the living room, grew rather excited when she heard footsteps coming closer. Oh, how eager she was to continue the moment she had just shared with the other woman. Disappointment was written all over her face when she saw Betsy walking in, followed by her lover. Had she invited Betsy and forgot to tell her? No, why would she do that?

Mildred sat up a little straighter, straightening the skirt of her nightgown as she tried her best to give a professional smile to the new arrival.

Betsy let her gaze wander over the table, seeing the half empty bottle of wine along with the two glasses. A small frown appeared on her face as she looked at the two women. “You started without me? Well, I guess I’ll just have to make up for it.” That being said, she gave the bottle in her hand a little shake to indicate she might need a glass of her own. That woman didn’t even notice the disheveled appearance of her friends.

Gwen was the first one to find her voice again and moved to stand between Mildred and Betsy. “Betsy, we … we weren’t even expecting you.”

“Oh yeah well, I figured when you talked about meeting up tonight I thought you were talking about a ladies night. So here I am, bringing some wine. I didn’t think it would be a problem.”

Mildred blushed a little harder as she realized that the other nurse had heard at least bits of their conversation earlier that day. This shouldn’t have happened, at all. Betsy looked between the two women once more, trying to figure out why they seemed so startled by her sudden appearance. It took her a moment to notice Mildred’s flushed skin, her smeared lipstick, and ridden up nightgown. Though Gwen was no better; her shirt partly unbuttoned, messy hair, an equal flush across her chest.

Betsy could only stare for a moment, putting the clues together, slowly, until it began to make sense. Eyes widening a little, agape with surprise. “ _ Oh, _ ” the older woman said, slowly shutting her mouth again. “You really weren’t expecting me … you two, you’re ...” She pointed at them, unable to finish the sentence though she was sure the other women knew what she was trying to say. “When did that happen?”

Though Mildred was impressed, yet shocked by Betsy’s reaction - she hadn’t expected to take it that well - she was feeling incredibly overwhelmed. That last question caused her to jump to her feet, looking at the other two for a moment before rushing out of her room to gather her things. She just had to leave! The night was ruined.

Gwen, knowing Mildred well enough to know what was going on, turned to Betsy with great urgency. “Betsy, you need to leave.” The dark haired woman was rather startled by the harsh words and frowned. “So I don’t even get a glass of wine? I have a couple of questions!” Gwen could only shake her head, gently pushing her towards the door again. “Betsy, please. Mildred isn’t ready to talk about this. It’s still new to both of us, she just came to terms with herself recently. So please, you need to leave. I promise, I’ll sit down with you some time and explain it to you. But not tonight.”

It made sense, Nurse Bucket thought. If they had been meaning to tell her they would have done it already. And she wasn’t a cruel person by nature, she could understand the reasoning. With a small nod, she walked towards the door, giving her another apologizing smile before she left the house. With a heavy sigh, Gwendolyn leaned back against the door for a moment before rushing to meet Mildred in her bedroom. 

Seeing her pack her things, she moved over to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “She’s gone.” But Mildred was still shaking, not quite taking in the meaning of her words. “Mildred, would you please stop? Please stay, I send her away.” Hesitantly, the younger woman stopped what she was doing, eventually turning towards her lover. “It’s okay. I told her I would talk to her later. Please, don’t walk away. We can still enjoy the evening.” 

The brunette lifted a hand to cover her face, just for a moment, to calm down a little. “This is embarrassing.” But Gwendolyn wouldn’t have any of it. “It is not. Now she knows, so? She didn’t seem to mind at all. We didn’t do anything wrong.” Mildred wanted to complain again but the expression on the other woman’s face was enough to shut her down. The way she was now holding her hand, how she desperately wanted her to stay, it melted her heart. Biting her lower lip, she lifted a hand to the redhead’s face, caressing her cheek. Nodding, she gave a silent agreement. 

Relieved, Gwen leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Mildred’s lips before pulling back enough to rest their foreheads together. “Don’t worry. I will deal with her. Remember that I love you.”

Those words, they never failed to make her heart skip a beat. Small smile on her lips, she nodded, eyes closing as she slowly allowed herself to relax again. “I love you, too,” she whispered, knowing Gwen was right. It would be okay.


End file.
